FANS, the group that supports the arts at Nottingham, will hold its first meeting of the year on Thursday, October 12. Read more about the meeting agenda and the group’s plans for the year:

Greetings FANS!As we come into the new year, the FANS group will meet on Thurs., Oct. 12 at 6:30 PM in the N’Ham Cafeteria.

AGENDA– Meet with our new and returning key staff, including Alicia Bronzetti, Eric Petit-McClure, Deb Holden, and Shannon Thompkins.– Discuss the FANS’ position on school renovations, following the Sept 12th and 14th renovations meetings– Discuss the schedule of events for the upcoming year, so we can more effectively plan and coordinate.

Presently, the thinking within the department is to change the emphasis from just “drama” to the performing arts in general to promote greater equality and inclusivity among performers and visual artists.

To this end, Alicia Bronzetti and Deb Holden:– Have set up a Remind group (@NHSPerArts) to communicate about weekly meetings/workshops.– Met with returning drama club members on the to discuss committee/board positions– Will hold a general interest/newcomer meeting, with group activities, on 9/14. – Will hold a comedic-acting workshop to get ready for auditions for the fall play on 9/21.

Auditions for the fall play will be at the end of September. Encourage your students to get involved!

In other news….The FANS Group met June 15. Thank you to Mr. Maynard for putting together the information, meeting with us, and answering our questions. If you know of someone who was not at the FANS meeting and who would like to be notified of and involved with upcoming activities, feel free to forward this message and let us know his or her email address. Anyone with an interest in the the fine arts at Nottingham is welcome to participate!Notes from that meeting:MUSICAL DIRECTOR: – Mr. R. has retired – Alicia Bronzetti will remain involved – Shannon Thompkins will direct the musical; she has decades of experience and is well-regarded in the theater community– Because Ms. Thompkins is she is not in the building, we are taking into consideration ways to have students active prior to her daily arrival during the musical seasonBAND & ORCHESTRA– The new band and orchestra person is Eric Petit-McClure. The FANS group has encouraged the idea that strings become a regular, daily part of the curriculumNOTTINGHAM FINE ARTS STRAND– Mr. Maynard and the Superintendent recently visited the Rochester School of the Arts (http://www.rcsdk12.org/SOTA)– The SOTA is competitive, by audition only, grades 7-12, and about the size of N’Ham as a whole– Looking at the feasibility of creating a “Fine Arts” strand at N’ham– Planning needs to begin now: The school is looking at renovations that include the LGIR, the ELA “dressing room” in the back hall, and possibly the cafeteria and other spaces; renovations need to accommodate the new strand; we need to get this right– Mr. Maynard and the Superintendent are planning another visit to a similar school in BuffaloFINE ARTS: ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUESMr. Maynard has tasked the Fine Arts area to increase communications: – Maintain and ensure student participation in a “portfolio” of activities such as: competitions, field trips, NYSSMA, All County, conferences/workshops, and other events – Consolidate and better employ electronic communications, including a merger of the Harlequin and FANS pages and the use of “Remind”-style technology; teachers need to be actively communicating with parents and students using these sorts of tools – Coordinate “key parents” who can be called upon to work with (not “for,” or “instead of”) students on events – Broaden the catalog of event offerings; for example, add talent nights back in – Establish an active and engaged student board that has the responsibility to advise on, work within, and promote the Fine Arts area.OTHER TOPICS– Parents noted the lack emphasis on the arts in the feeder schools; HS students are coming in ill-prepared for HS-level work – FANS has about $15,000 as we come into the next year. This is spread out across a number of accounts, including the “Scotland” account. Decisions must be made about how these monies can be consolidated; FACES will have a new treasurer in the fall.

We hope that the first few days of the new school year have gone smoothly, and you and your student(s) are getting used to the Nottingham routine.

Nottingham High School is slated for long-awaited building renovations in the upcoming years. We hope that you will take the time to attend two meetings scheduled for next week to make sure that the limited resources are used for the best of our students, teachers and staff.

Meeting 1:Pre-Meeting of Nottingham families, staff and students to prioritize a renovation wish list. We are also looking for people to take a leadership role in advocating for Nottingham. Tuesday, September 12 at 6:30 pm – Nottingham LGIR (opposite the main auditorium)